Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1887-08-04
THE rCR s'ft R
Lon. st,.,l u. fh;n.

The growing of forest trees undthe pres
eryation and extension CT rAi5trrt wood
land is q subject of vie consideration
among the people of Clio. 1t is cluimed
in that State that their 8. rings a.e falling,
their streams becoming more irregular in
their flow, their winds becoming moro and
more destructive, floods more common
and droughts more frequent, more severe,
and more protrGcted.
While the annual average rainfall is
about the same as it was Twenty-Five years
ago, the distribution is less oven. 1t is
often found too wet and equally often too
dry to attain q fair measure of success i'll
farming. Just what effect trees have upon
climate is not clearly understood. History
shows, however, that III every country
where the proportion of land devoted TO
forests is less than one-quarter of the
whole area, there the climate is less
genial and more trying 10 cultivate crops.
In Ohio, ut the present time, less Than
seyentecn per cent. of the total area is de-
voted to the growth of timber, and the
work of destruction still goes on.
The experiment station in Ohio does not
urge the planting of trees for the vague
and not we'll understood climate effect they
may produce. 1t urges tree planting for
profit, and believes under many conditions
q crop of trees will give better return for
the labor expended than any other crop.
Trees may be planted for three dislinctand
special purposes, namely: For timber, for
shelter and protection, and for ornament.
For the first purpose much rough and
rugged land, all rayines and steep hill
sides, in short. every acre that is not culli-
yated, or is cultivated at a loss, should be
reclothed aud devoted to the most valuable
varieties of timber trees. For the second
purpose, protecting belts of tees should be
established wherever buildings, orchards,
ana gardens are exposed to cold sweeping
winds. Viewed in the light of economy
alone, such tree planting should not be
neglected. The banks of streams, ponds
and open bitches may often be planted with
trees that will be protected from washing
by foods and rapid currents.
For ornamental purposes, all public
roads should be belted with rows of stately,
graceful trees, while our lawns, school
yards, public parks, and the like should
not be forgotten. Probably there is not a
farm in the State, the value of which
would not be greatly increased by the
iudicious planting of some trees, even for
ornamentation. A place beautitied by fine
shade trees will always sell for price that
more than repays nll the cost of planting
and caring for these simple agents OF
ornamentation.
| In order to preserve, improve, and eX-
tend onr existing forests, which should he
made valuable for timber, first, constant
succession of young growing trees of the
/, best varieties should be kept up. To dc
this it is necessary to allow no stock tc
run in woodlands for purpose of forage.
The little food they secure is no compen-
sntion for The fine young trees annually
destroyed, n loss that it requires years 10
repair. Second, greater precautions should
be taken against fire. The best means OF
protection is to have nothing in the woolt
but green, vigorous growing timber
Forest fires are mainly supported and
spread by means of dead material. How.
ever expensive, all debris should be re.
moved from small plantations, and if thi.
is done there is but little more danger of {
fire in q forest than in field of growins
corn
| Wood lots should be thinned moderated,
and iudiciously. Trees should stand clos,
| together in order to force an upwart
| growth. All worthless varieties should b,
removed Mt once. The valuable sorts ma,
be encouraged to grow tall by trimming oi
the lower branches when they begin /,
overcrowd. Cut out the supertuous speci
mems. Cut them in early spring and th
stems will throw up new shoots which vii
grow with great rnpidity and be vnluabl
for garden stakes, hoop poles, and the like